


The Story Mill

by Jenseits_der_Sterne



Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Awkwardness and Flirting, Changing POVs, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Post-Calamity, Slow Burn, silliness, stories within stories!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:46:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,954
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29892378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jenseits_der_Sterne/pseuds/Jenseits_der_Sterne
Summary: The Calamity has been defeated. The princess has returned. Hyrule is ready for a new era.It's an exciting time, as opportunity and creativity abound. So much so that a new publication appears: "The Story Mill." The serial features the adventures of Princess Zelda and Link, the Hero of Hyrule, and the author promises stories full of action, drama, romance, and more!But when Zelda starts to read this fictionalized version of her post-Calamity life, things between her and Link begin to get awkward.Whatever will happen?! You'll just have to read "The Story Mill" to find out!
Relationships: Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 48





	1. An Inspirational Proclamation

**Author's Note:**

> My friend [MuseLover1901](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MuseLover1901/pseuds/MuseLover1901) has had a difficult and sad day. So, here's chapter 1 of a brand new story :)
> 
> A big thank you to [socksock](https://archiveofourown.org/users/socksock/pseuds/socksock) who encouraged me on this story, even after I'd dropped it for a couple/few months there. And big thank you to [Bhujerban](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bhujerban/pseuds/Bhujerban) who messaged me excitedly when she saw I had started working on this again. Both beta'd this chapter and helped to make it better than it was, thank you both so much! <3

**A Royal Proclamation**

On this day, the spring equinox of the 10,072nd year of Hylia, I, Princess Zelda of Hyrule, formally announce my return to the people of Hyrule.

For the last 100 years, the power of the Goddess enabled me to hold back Calamity Ganon within the walls of Hyrule Castle. The length of time defies belief: in the mysterious way that She works, while I fought, entangled in an everlasting battle with the beast, the Goddess protected me, preserving my youth and sustaining me. The struggle to hold back the Calamity was fraught and difficult, but I was sheltered in Her light. I was and am blessed by Her, as is my birthright.

One month ago today, the sky turned red and the roars of Calamity Ganon rang out across the land. A battle for the fate of Hyrule was fought, epic in scope. Victory over this ancient evil was imperative.

Link, the Hero of Hyrule and wielder of the Sword that Seals the Darkness, fought Ganon both within the walls of Hyrule Castle and without on the fields of Central Hyrule. He weakened the beast such that I was able to escape my century-long entanglement.

Wielding the golden light of Hylia, I then sealed Calamity Ganon away, forever.

Thus, I proclaim: Ganon is no longer a scourge upon our lands. The dawn of a new era is upon us.

Over the last month, I have been learning of the hardships that the peoples of Hyrule face. Resilient, brave, hardy, clever - these are but a few of the words I would use to describe our people.

I will begin a journey soon, venturing out into the land to meet the peoples of Hyrule. Link, ever steadfast and dutiful, has agreed to accompany me.

Our goals are threefold. First, with the defeat of Ganon, the Blood Moon is no more. Starting with the largest monster encampments, the Hero of Hyrule will rid the land of Ganon's minions. Second, the Sheikah technology across the land must be studied and understood. I will seek to harness the technology's full potential. 

The third goal is the most important, for this goal is to gather knowledge, to better understand the hardships that the people face. In due time, we shall visit all settlements, small and large, in pursuit of this. 

I will close out this royal missive with a message of hope: Take heart, people of Hyrule, for we, indeed, all of us prevailed, victorious in the face of difficult odds. And so I make a second declaration, one of hope and peace: May the light of Hylia shine upon us, always.

* * *

"Oh, gosh." Purah drops the parchment on the table and fans herself with a tiny hand. _"Princess!_ You're gonna make me cry!"

"Awe." Zelda's brows knit together. "Well, that certainly wasn't my intention."

"No, no, I'm telling ya, crying over this would be a _good_ thing!" Purah says as she wipes at the corner of her eye. 

Zelda lets out a relieved laugh, lifting her chin up from where it had been perched on her hands as she'd watched Purah read. "So, would you say my proclamation is good then?" 

"Good!? Princess, it's _amazing!"_ Purah jumps, her arms outstretched. The stool she's standing on wobbles and she ends up waving her little arms a bit for balance. "Symin, Symin, get over here!"

Over across the lab, Symin looks up. He and Link have been discussing modifying the sensor functionality in the Sheikah Slate. When Zelda suggested back in Kakariko that perhaps its range could be widened, Link had said, "Ooooh. Now that's an idea!" He'd punctuated the statement with a rather charming smile, one she's still trying to get used to. 

And so she and Link find themselves here, in Hateno at the Tech Lab. She finds herself seated across from Purah, who's changed so much, yet is also somehow exactly the same. Exuberant, brilliant, and brash, just to name a few of the scientist's traits.

"Come on," Purah beckons wildly, "get over here!"

Zelda can't help but laugh once more: clearly, discussing extending the sensor's range with Link is secondary to Purah's wishes, for Symin is quick to make his way over to the table. Perhaps it should be noted that another one of Purah's traits is that she's demanding.

Link hooks the Slate on his belt with an easy, practiced motion as he follows.

Purah picks up the parchment and waves it about. "Symin, you've gotta read the princess' proclamation. She wrote it for everyone in Hyrule!"

Symin frowns. "But, I told you, I've already read it."

"What?!" Purah puts her hands on her hips. "How the heck have you already read it?"

Link shoots Zelda an amused glance as he slips into the seat beside her.

Symin draws in a steadying breath. "I read it back when it was first delivered in town. Reede nailed it up at the bulletin board in the main square." Symin looks to Link. "When would that have been, about four days ago?"

"Yeah, probably just about."

Purah's ire comes through in her stomped foot, in her balled up fists. "You mean to tell me you've known about the princess' proclamation for four whole days and you weren’t gonna tell me?!"

Symin shoulders droop. "But I did tell you! I said that you should come into town with me to read it. In fact, I asked you quite a few times." 

"Oh." Purah presses her finger tips together sheepishly. "So _that's_ why you kept going on about how I should go with you into town?"

With a sigh, Symin answers. "Yes. That'd be why." Zelda's only just met Symin for the first time today, but she figures he must be both capable and patient if he's persisted in Purah’s lab as long as he has.

Beside her, Link snorts, his eyes darting between Purah and Symin. 

Purah rounds on the two of them. "Wait a sec, how didja manage to get these proclamations delivered anyways? It's not like we have a post system anymore."

"Well. Link arranged it," Zelda says as she regards him. "It was quite a feat."

With all eyes on him, he flushes and looks elsewhere. His eyes flick back to Purah and he clears his throat. "I have a lot of friends among the Rito, that’s all. I just asked them for a favor." He shrugs. "It was pretty easy after that." 

"Oh, come now!" Zelda scoffs. "You're selling yourself short." Zelda turns to Purah who raises a brow. "He's selling himself short. I thought it was important the proclamation would be delivered everywhere simultaneously on the spring equinox. The simplest method would have been to have Link use the Slate to warp around and deliver the message himself, but then I realized that optically that might be a bit strange? To have the messenger deliver a proclamation, and yet the messenger himself would feature so prominently in the proclamation itself? It would have been bad form.”

Purah grins. “Ah, how savvy of you! It would’ve looked like he was bragging about himself.” 

“Precisely!” Zelda nods. “I was disheartened: there would be no way to deliver it in time! But then Link suggested that we could involve the Rito. After that, he took to coordinating everything with Teba, one of his Rito friends. They planned out a whole route for all the messengers that would ensure a timely delivery and, my goodness, it _worked!"_ She turns to find Link watching her, his face still flushed. She reaches out, pats his forearm. "It was no small feat, and for that I'll keep stating my gratitude."

He looks down, huffs out a laugh. "You're welcome."

"Awe, well, what was it the princess called you?" Purah skims over the proclamation. "Where is it.. where is... Ah-ha! There it is: steadfast and dutiful. So, there ya go. Now all of Hyrule knows it too!"

She hadn't know it to be possible, but he turns a shade redder, and his shoulders inch closer to his ears. 

"Hold on a sec though!" Purah jabs in the air with the parchment, using it to point at Link. "You weren't 'steadfast' or 'dutiful' when I asked you to bring me guardian parts!"

At this accusation, Link rolls his eyes. Oh! Zelda has never seen him do this before...

Zelda shifts in her seat, grinning. "How, pray tell, was he not 'steadfast' or 'dutiful'?"

"I said I’d upgrade the runes on the Slate if he brought me ancient parts. And then I didn't see him for two whole months!"

Link sits back in his chair and crosses his arms. "Hey, I was busy!"

"Suuure." Purah sniffs and places one of her little hands over her heart. "Who’da thought you'd leave the director of Hateno Ancient Tech Lab in the lurch for so long. Super rude of you!"

Zelda watches as Link laughs. She watches as he defends himself. "Look! I went clear across Hyrule after I left here that first time!"

"Yeah, yeah, right." Purah sounds unconvinced. "A lousy excuse. I'm just saying, you could've upgraded the runes way faster."

Link grins. "I mean, you're right, I _could've._ But... I think it all worked out just fine in the end." 

Oddly enough, that's enough to silence Purah. A pensive quiet falls over their group of four. To think: just about five weeks ago, she still fought in the castle, holding back Calamity Ganon. Link had just taken back Vah Medoh, wresting the fourth and final Divine Beast away from Ganon’s control and bringing it over to their side.

Purah looks down at the proclamation. She hasn't let go of it since beckoning Symin and Link over. "Yeah. It did all work out just fine."

"Princess,” Symin says, “it's a very inspiring proclamation.”

Link looks at Zelda and affirms softly, "It really is."

Zelda feels warmth on her cheeks. Her heart beats wildly. The last five weeks with Link have been an adjustment. It became apparent to her rather quickly that he doesn't remember much about her or anything from their time together before.

They've been amicable, yet hesitant with one another. Occasionally, it's even been a touch awkward, like when she sat next to him during a formal meal held by the Sheikah and he spent the whole time fidgeting. That night, he was a terrible conversationalist, his responses were all rather stilted. Later, when the dancing had begun, while he had asked her for a dance, he’d then been terribly rigid and had held her at arm’s length. Did he not want to sit at her side? Did he not want to converse with her? Did he not actually want to share a dance with her? She may never know the answers to these questions, because, unfortunately, he seems to be nearly as unforthcoming as he was a hundred years ago.

And it's _weird,_ but they've been bickering about the strangest things? Goodness, just working together to fold a blanket when breaking camp over the last few has become a whole production. Back in Kakariko, Zelda had complained to Impa about this. 100 years ago, after they’d become friends, they hadn’t argued over a single thing. So… what is different now? Impa had grinned and said something vague to the effect of “I think Link likes to push boundaries.” Whatever does that mean? And why is he like this now when he wasn’t a century ago?

And yet... when she wrote the proclamation, she meant it when she described him as ‘steadfast’ and ‘dutiful.’ He stayed in Kakariko with her when he just as easily could have left. He listened to her plans, some of which were clearly off the mark in hindsight, and he offered his thoughts with patience and without judgment. He readily agreed to join her when she decided to travel Hyrule. When she said she thought a proclamation delivered on the spring equinox could be a strong symbol of hope, he got to work, even though the timing was nigh impossible with the equinox only three days away. He immediately warped out to Rito Village and had it all sorted out within half a day. He and his Rito friends made it happen: they delivered her proclamation swiftly and on time. 

Purah's high pitched voice cuts through Zelda's musings. "Yeah. This really is inspiring stuff! Say, princess, what exactly _are_ your plans with the Sheikah tech? Phrasing like 'harness the technology's full potential' really gets a girl like me thinkin'!"

"Oh!" Zelda claps, unable to contain her excitement. "Purah, I have _so many_ ideas!"

* * *

Stepping back a bit, four days to be exact, a certain traveling writer was following the road along the Hylia River. She wasn’t planning to stop at the Riverside Stable, she planned to walk right past it. She'd heard rumors of treasure in Nabi Lake and had big plans to press onward to her destination to investigate.

But...it wasn’t normal to see such a large crowd gathered at a stable. The sight was odd enough that it gave Traysi pause. "Now what do we have here?"

When she approached the back of the group, she addressed a tall lanky man, "Greetings, friend. What's going on here?"

The man glanced at her. "A Rito arrived maybe half an hour ago or so. He nailed a sheet of paper to that pole and then flew away."

"Huh!" How odd: the Rito usually keep to themselves and she'd never heard of one advertising some kind of message somewhere, let alone at a Hylian stable. "Well, what's it say?"

The man shrugged. "Oh, I dunno. I haven't gotten close enough to read it yet."

Traysi rolled her eyes. Little help this fellow was.

Well. Spoils do not come to the timid or the meek. She stood tall, squared her shoulders and pushed her way forward into the crowd.

There was chatter among the gathered people. A smattering of words reached her like 'calamity' and 'defeated.' Ha, old news! She already published a whole piece about how the castle's been free of that swirling purple cloud. Her recommended approach for those who wanted to take it safe is still to enter the castle through the docks. But for the adventuresome, walking right through the front gates, while still perilous, will give you a thrill! She had written that despite the ruined state of the entrance, the grandeur is enough to transport anyone back into the days of yore, enough for you to pretend that you're a citizen of the long fallen kingdom. 

But when she heard someone in the crowd say 'royal proclamation,' her ears really perked up. Alright, clearly something was going on here. The question then was what that something was...? She pushed herself deeper into the crowd with more gusto.

"Excuse me." She made it a bit further. "May I just- Thanks." And a bit further still. "Pardon me, would you mind stepping asi- thank yooou." Traysi came to a stop, standing right in front of the object of everyone’s present interest. 

Her eyes scanned over it quickly. Whoa. Whatever this was, it was... official looking. The parchment was of a high quality. The text was written in a large, clear, and elegant hand. There was a fancy golden wax seal affixed to the parchment below the text. The stamp bore the symbol of the triforce. What... what was this?

And so Traysi began to read. She stood, transfixed. When she finished, she read it a second time. And then a third.

When someone asked for her to move, she shushed them and ignored their grumbling. And then she read it a fourth time. 

Wow. 

It was just that… Well, one did not stumble on the single most important piece of news in perhaps a century and take it in lightly. 

If this royal proclamation were authentic (which Traysi intended to investigate), then that meant that _somewhere_ out there in Hyrule there was a princess named Zelda and with her was a Hero named Link.

She had met a kid named Link a handful of times before. He'd been hard to miss over the last few months, turning up all over Hyrule. In his wake, the newly emerged shrines and towers seemed to go from orange to blue. He always had a device on his hip that glowed with the symbol of the Sheikah. Folks in different corners of Hryule described watching as he tapped that thing against the pedestal at shrines. And then the lights would change color, a door would open and grant him, only him, access to whatever was underground beneath the shrines. 

It was a curiosity: no one could say for sure what he did down there. Sometimes he emerged with a new weapon on his back, sometimes he came out wearing something different than what he wore going in. One time, some gal at the Dueling Peaks Stable had told Traysi she’d asked him what he’d done down in the shrine across the road and all he’d said was "I put a ball in a hole." The boy managed to be mysterious, if not obtuse, Traysi would give him that.

But to Princess Zelda, he was also 'steadfast and dutiful.' Say now... whatever could _that_ mean? 

The gears were turning in Traysi's head as she pulled out her notebook. Someone at her side asked, "So, what do you think?"

Traysi, eyes still fixed on the proclamation, responded honestly. "I think it's inspirational. Very inspirational."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! This story has been kicking around since maybe October and I finally picked it back up again in February :) I don't quite know how long it'll be just yet, but I've got about 4 more chapters written. Those 4 need some work, but I should be posting them soon enough :) There will be more beyond those, but I've gotta write them!
> 
> If you've been following my story ["Before and After"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20910887/chapters/49709855), I'm stewing on the next chapter. I'm thinking of doing something a little different with the next chapter, but I haven't quite nailed that down yet. No fear, an update will come along! <3
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this? It's a bit sillier than anything I've posted so far and I've been having a lot of fun with that. I hope you like it to! Let me know what you think :D


	2. Investigations in Kakariko

Traysi made her way to Kakariko. It seemed to be a reasonable guess that Princess Zelda would have at least passed through the village of the shadow folk. Heck, maybe she was even still there?

The village tucked among the Pillars of Levia wasn't wholly unknown to Traysi. She'd passed through some six years ago while researching something called the Lens of Truth. The rumors she'd heard had suggested a Sheikah connection to the artifact. The villagers had entertained her questions with a polite interest, but no one had seemed to know anything about any Lens of Truth. 

Finally after asking around for a few days, she'd been granted an audience with the village elder, Lady Impa. The tiny Sheikah woman had leveled Traysi with an amused look and said, "Even if we Sheikah knew of such an artifact, do you believe we'd so readily talk about it?" It had clearly been a dismissal, but Traysi had to respect Impa's frank and shrewd manner. 

For Traysi, the memory of that fruitless investigation was in no way a deterrent. If anything, she felt as though she would be savvier this time around.

"Greetings, stranger!" A young Sheikah woman did a little jump in place while waving. "If you're looking for fashionable clothing, you should check out Enchanted. It's Kakariko's finest boutique!"

Traysi raised a brow. It was likely Kakariko's  _ only _ boutique, but she wasn't about to start sassing her potential sources of information.

"Hi there. Maybe I'll pop by later, thanks."

"Sure thing!" the girl called after her.

Traysi kept walking a few more paces and then came to a stop. She stood at the edge of the square and took in the scene. From the looks of it, she'd just missed some sort of celebration. There were lanterns strung up across the square, tables with long benches filled the space. A couple of villagers were working together to move a table across an open space in the middle. If Traysi had to guess, that open area had served as a dance floor not too long ago.

She spun on her heel to face the young woman further back up the path. "Say now, was there some kind of party here?"

The young woman clasped her hands before her heart. "Oh yes, ma'am!"

"What were you all celebrating?"

"The princess' journey, of course!" 

"Ah! Is the princess here in Kakariko?"

"No, ma'am. She and Master Link left yesterday."

"Oh, that's a shame." Traysi did a poor job of hiding her disappointment. "You see, I've read her proclamation." And she had it transcribed word for word in her notebook, but Traysi figured that wasn't a detail worth sharing. Instead, she continued, "I was hoping I'd catch her here. Ah well. Say now, could you tell me more about this party?"

The young woman clapped her hands. "Oh, sure! What do you wanna know?"

She grinned. Perhaps this was going to be easier than she'd thought! Whoever needed a Lens of Truth? Certainly not Traysi! 

* * *

Traysi dropped down onto the bed at the inn and pulled off her pack with a contented sigh.

Today was fruitful. What did she learn?

The princess and hero had stayed right here, in Kakariko, for nearly a whole month after the Calamity's defeat. The majority of their stay sounded really boring. According to the villagers she'd spoken with, both Princess Zelda and Link had slept, a lot, during the first couple of weeks of residing at Lady Impa's. Traysi supposed defeating a beast such as the Calamity would tire anyone out. She'd hoped for a dramatic tale of their arrival at the village, but alas, it sounded as if it had been rather subdued.

After that, there seems to have been a lot of planning that most of the Sheikah villagers were not privy to. The hero would occasionally use the Sheikah Slate to travel, disappearing in a swirl of blue light and then he'd return later the same day. 

Two evenings ago, there was a celebration. There had been a lot to celebrate: Princess Zelda's proclamation had been delivered throughout the land and it was time for her to leave Kakariko. Many members of the Sheikah tribe had contributed to the gathering in one way or another.

The pumpkin farmer, Olkin, had been quick to point out that the princess had eaten the stew made from his pumpkins with gusto. He'd also leaned forward conspiratorially and whispered to Traysi that Her Royal Highness had turned her nose up at the roasted carrots. Apparently, she had disliked them enough that the hero, seated at her side, had eaten them all for her. Olkin could hardly contain his glee while telling her this.

Obviously this meant that Traysi had to talk to the carrot farmer, a man named Steen, next. In his accounting of the tale, the roasted carrots had simply arrived at the tables too late into the meal. While it was true that the princess had only taken a bite and while it was true that the hero had eaten her share of carrots, the princess had later assured Steen that she'd simply been too full to eat another bite. Steen had glowed with pride when he stated that the Princess left Kakariko with a whole bushel of swift carrots from his farm.

Mellie, an older Sheikah woman, had supplied the plum wine for the celebration. Mellie had bragged to Traysi, "Master Link told me it was the finest wine he'd ever tasted. You should have seen that boy, all rosy cheeked from the wine." The older woman had grinned. She'd said, "Or maybe it had something to do with his dance partner? Tough to say!"

Of course Traysi couldn't leave such a statement unexplored! Accounts of the princess and the hero dancing varied widely. Cado, a guard to Lady Impa, had frowned and said gruffly their dance hadn't been all that interesting. Rola, the proprietor of The Curious Quiver shop, had a completely opposite opinion. Rola had clasped her hands over her heart and gushed over how the princess had been the picture of grace, "But Link, that boy's normally unflappable, right? But I tell you, he was all flustered and a bit awkward dancing with her. They were both kind of cute, though." Paya, one of the younger women in the village, had refuted the claim that Link had been awkward during the dance, instead insisting he'd been "gallant and gentlemanly." Paya had said, "B-both he and the pr-princess are skilled dancers. They were a sight to see!"

Rola had supplied a different, interesting detail: apparently yesterday morning, while preparing to leave the village, Princess Zelda had approached Link with a bushel of swift carrots, presumably the very same one that Steen had given her. According to Rola, they'd argued over whether or not to pack them. Link had said he already had plenty in his pack and that they didn't need any more. Zelda had frowned and said that was beside the point and that they  _ had  _ to take the carrots with them. Apparently, as she'd said this, she'd laid a hand on his arm and given it a small shake. Rola had almost sounded a little jealous when she'd explained how Link had flushed. Apparently, the princess won that argument! 

However, while the Sheikah were eager to give details on the feast and the dancing and minor arguments, Traysi had sensed an odd caginess regarding another topic: the princess' desire to harness the Sheikah technology.

Traysi thought the Sheikah would be excited about this, that they'd be eager to jump in to help the princess. But when asked, instead she encountered hesitant responses and furrowed brows. Mellie had frowned and become a bit curt, "I don't know anything about the tech." Cado had crossed his arms, saying, "Ah, I dunno. But... maybe it'll be a good thing." Olkin had shaken his head, "I'm not interested in anything that doesn't offer a good, reliable defense." Dorian's voice had become gruff, "It might be best to just leave the tech be, but Her Highness would know best."

Traysi herself wasn't overly fond of the technology. Like anyone, she had run away a number of guardians over the years. Once she'd learned to avoid areas where they were known to prowl about, life as a traveler had become easier. 

She'd been told since she was a babe in the cradle the story of how the guardians and those colossal monsters had turned against the kingdom of old. These last few months, it had not been the most comforting thing, to see their red beams of light point at the castle one by one, starting with the one in Lanayru and ending with the one in Eldin.

But, the day the sky had turned red and the earth had shaken, Traysi had watched from Serenne Stable as the four behemoths had fired a blast like none ever seen before. Traysi was no fan of those mechanical monsters, but even she had to admit that they appear to have helped defeat the Calamity that day.

For whatever reason, the Sheikah felt unsure about the technology. So what did that mean for the Princess' plans? 

Traysi laid down on the bed with a contented sigh. 

There wasn't much of a point to staying in Kakariko. She didn't really feel like trying to speak with Lady Impa again, suspecting that the matriarch would be just as coy and unhelpful as she had been six years ago. Besides, Traysi already had plenty of details to go on.

She had a hunch of where to go next: if the princess were interested in the Sheikah tech, it would make sense for her to go to Hateno where one of the two laboratories was. 

Traysi had tried asking a couple Sheikah where they'd gone. Dorian had refused to say. Cado had been similarly mum on the matter. 

With Paya, Traysi had tried a different approach: she simply acted as if she already knew they were going to Hateno. Traysi had said to the girl, "I bet the princess hasn't even reached Hateno yet." 

Paya had practically turned red from indignation. "Th-they most certainly have! Ma-Master Link knows the way. He'll have gotten the princess there safely by now." 

Hiding her glee, Traysi had responded with a shrug. "Oh. you're probably right."

Yes, today had been fruitful indeed. Tomorrow, she would set out for Hateno bright and early. But now, sleep!

* * *

In Traysi’s opinion, here’s nothing like a good long walk to get the creative juices flowing. She could say with certainty that she’d written some of her best pieces while walking.

Once she reached Fort Hateno, she figured it’d make sense to stop for lunch. 

Traysi took a seat by the cook pot and opened her pack to consider her meal options. Hmm, Steen had given her swift carrots, he'd insisted that when roasted with a little butter and some Hyrule Herb, they'd be delightful. She'd eaten that before and said he didn't need to convince her, but she took the carrots anyways. And as a worldly woman, she always carried Goron Spice with her and she happened to have some rice in her pack, too. Carrots, spice and rice: that would definitely make for a nice vegetable curry.

She paused for a moment, watching another traveler walk on their way toward Hateno. 

Boy... there was so much potential for drama in  _ all _ of the information that Traysi had already gathered. And soon enough she’d be in Hateno and would gather even more information. Maybe even catch a glimpse of the princess herself!

A story was already cooking up in her mind and soon enough she'd get it down on paper. It was too big of an opportunity to pass up and the inspiration she was feeling had only grown. She had big plans to add her own twists and turns, to add some spice into a story about Princess Zelda and the hero.

But first things first: Traysi was hungry. She gave the jar of Goron Spice a small toss and then caught it with a grin. It was time to spice up these carrots!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Traysi's on the scent, gathering information! It was fun to work with the characters in Kakariko, to try to work with their personalities and see what that might mean they reveal or don't reveal. I hope you enjoy it too!
> 
> As always, lemme know what you think! I love your comments ^_^


End file.
